Canon announces EOS-1D C 4K DSLR with 8-bit 4:2:2 1080p HDMI output

Canon has unveiled its promised 4K capable DSLR, the EOS-1D C, which can capture 4K (4096 x 2160 pixel) video at up to 24p without downscaling, from an APS-H crop of its 18MP full-frame sensor. The camera, which shares the majority of its specifications with the still-awaited EOS 1D X, can also capture 1080p60 or 50p or output it uncompressed over its HDMI connector. Full HD can be captured from a 16:9 crop from the whole sensor, or a smaller, APS-C-like Super 35mm sub-frame that allows the use of Canon's EF Cinema Zoom lenses. The camera will cost around €10,000 (exact price to be confirmed) and will be available from October.

The company says the camera has been developed in discussions with Hollywood and television broadcasters, to ensure it has the features they need. This includes the ability to capture 4k or 1080p footage in either intraframe (All-I) interframe (IPB) compression Motion JPEGs, and the ability to output a 1080p Y'CbCr 4:2:2 signal over its HDMI port.

While 4K-compatible monitors are just starting to appear and both Adobe Premier CS6 and Final Cut Pro X support 4K editing, Canon says it doesn't expect 4K to be a practical concern for many individuals in the short term. However, the ability to archive original footage at high resolution, in preparation for the market catching up could be a draw for the cinema and broadcast industry.

The 1D C gains a series of features from the C300 native Full HD camera launched last year. This includes Canon Log Gamma - a very flat, low contrast, high dynamic range response, allowing footage from both cameras to be mixed together and color-graded identically. It can also mirror its HDMI signal - including the option to show a 'View Assist' simulation of graded output over HDMI while still capturing log gamma footage.

Unlike the C300, the EOS-1D C does not offer zebra striping or peaking focus aids, which the company sees as being more important in single-person operated documentary settings, rather than the rig-and-crew situations it expects the 1D C to be used in.

How is it different to an EOS-1D X?

In many respects the EOS-1D C is a very close cousin of the 1D X, but Canon insists the circuitry and heat management of the camera has been re-worked to avoid overheating with the immense (and sustained) data rates required for 4K video recording. The 1D C also has headphone socket, and loses the flash sync port.

Canon won't be pinned down on the precise details of hardware differences but also says the 1D X might be subject to greater import duty into North America and the EU if an aftermarket firmware change would allow the recording of more than 29 minutes, 59 seconds of video, so this isn't a 1D X with extended video and 4K enabled in firmware.

However, the 1D C can still capture 18MP images at 12fps and its 4Kp24 footage means individual frames can be used at the same 8MP resolution as offered by the EOS-1D Mark II - a photojournalist tool widely used until fairly recently. And, while the portrait-orientation grip may seem redundant for video shooting, it does provide room for a large capacity battery, which is absolutely essential.

The first SLR camera of its kind, the EOS-1D C offers a unique and highly portable package optimised for high-quality video recording. Advanced creative flexibility is provided with support for a range of resolutions and variable frame rates. 4K video is recorded using 8-bit Motion JPEG compression at 24p, and Full HD (1920 x 1080) video capture is available at frame rates up to 1080/60p. The camera supports internal recording to CF cards at all resolutions up to and including 4K, offering enhanced mobility. Video can also be output to external recorders1 via an integrated HDMI terminal using an uncompressed YCbCr 4:2:2 signal.

The EOS-1D C also features Canon Log Gamma, which facilitates the capture of high quality video rich in exposure latitude and dynamic range. Ideal for video professionals who want to retain the maximum amount of information without huge file sizes, Canon Log Gamma offers a dynamic range uniquely comparable to film, minimising shadowdetail loss and highlight-detail loss to provide greater grading freedom for colourists in post-production.

"The EOS-1D C is a fantastic addition to the Cinema EOS System," said Kieran Magee, Marketing Director, Professional Imaging, Canon Europe. "Since the introduction of Cinema EOS we've had an excellent response from professionals who are hugely excited by the image quality and creative freedom the system offers. The new EOS-1D C will expand those creative options further – it's a unique camera, supporting 4K video recording in a highly compact body that can be used in a number of different ways. We're very excited to see what the professional community can achieve with it."

Advanced performance meets creative flexibility

Based on the core specifications of the EOS-1D X, the EOS-1D C provides exceptional image quality and versatility, with an 18.1-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor. Optimised for high quality video capture, the sensor provides video professionals with the freedom to adjust image resolution to suit a subject or desired output. During 4K shooting pixels are cropped to an area equivalent to an APS-H sensor, preventing the need to resize or scale the image, ensuring maximum image quality. Additionally, a Super 35mm crop in Full HD recording caters for cinematographers who typically work in the Super 35mm field of view.

The sensor provides high quality performance in all conditions, delivering advanced creative blurring and light capturing abilities when used in combination with Canon's EF Cinema prime lenses. Its size enables professionals to achieve an extremely shallow depth of field with beautiful background blur, and sensitivity up to ISO 25,600 provides excellent quality and reduced noise in low-light situations.

In addition, support for 24, 25, 30, 50 and 60p frame rates in Full HD resolution shooting provides additional flexibility, satisfying the shooting needs of professionals across the industry. Industry-standard timecode and codec support and a choice of compression methods provides compatibility with established workflow processes, facilitating easy editing and grading immediately after shooting.

The EOS-1D C ships with an exclusive software package, including a suite that allows 4K/Motion JPEG and Full HD/60p video shot on the camera to be output on an external monitor2 with no loss of image quality. It also enables video shot with Canon Log Gamma to be output on a monitor with standard video gamma applied.

Additional advanced applications, including Picture Style Editor and EOS Utility, also enable adjustments to various camera settings to be conducted from a PC. Real-time procedures, such as the editing and registration of picture styles or checking results on a monitor, can be conveniently performed on-set using a PC or Mac – allowing users to promptly carry out adjustments, and ensuring efficient shooting and post-production procedures.

EF lenses and EF Cinema Lenses – freedom to explore

As part of the EOS system, the EOS-1D C is compatible with more than 60 EF lenses, all of which offer high resolutions to support 4K image capture. The EF lens series offers exceptional creative freedom, with focal length options ranging from 8mm to 800mm. Over 70 million EF lenses have been manufactured since the EOS system launched in 1987 – a measure of its unparalleled quality and popularity. As part of the Cinema EOS System, Canon has also introduced a range of 4K EF Cinema Lenses, utilising the company's unique optical heritage to produce leading-quality lenses optimised for high-quality video capture.

Canon EOS-1D C – key features:

4k movies

1080p at 50/60fps; Canon Log Gamma

Uncompressed HDMI output

18 MP Full Frame CMOS

Up to 12fps stills; 14fps mode

61 point AF system

ISO range 100-25600

Dual DIGIC 5+ processors

Clear View II 8.1cm (3.2") LCD

EF lens compatible

1 Excluding 4K video2 Requires the use of a PC equipped with an SDI port

Comments

Well this has nothing to do with this high powered machine but with the facebook vs google+ battle that google is trying to wage. I guess if you look at the top bar and see that 5k people facebooked it, and only 13 people google+ it, I would say that facebook has nothing to worry about. I only noticed this because they (google) have highjacked my picasa web albums into some garbage G+ crap.

Oh well, to those who can afford this camera...bravo. Not for me though.

What we have here is some very clever engineering by Canon. They have managed to put some really powerful new tech into a form factor that is already familiar to anyone who has used a 1D series camera and kept that tech completely invisible, so as not to intimidate pro still shooters who might be willing to try their hand at high end movie capture for some projects. At the same time they have given the movie industry a new tool that is far better suited to run and gun and other scenarios than anything that has come before it. It's not suppose to be the perfect camera for all occasions. No camera is. Although for the well heeled still shooter it probably will come very close, and for cinema types it serves notice that along with the company's C300, C500, and their growing cinema lens line, Canon is in it for the long haul. Resistance is futile.

Many still shooters will be confused by the 1D C's familiar look into thinking it's an overpriced still camera that just happens to be able to perform a few YouTube centric tricks on the side, because that's what we've been used to up to this point. However, that is not the case with this camera. The 1D C is a device designed for big screen motion picture production (as in IMAX theatre movies), and it just happens to be able to perform a few still photography tricks on the side. But its business is assisting in full on major movie production by bringing 4K, 2K recording to removable and reusable internal solid state drives (aka. compact flash cards) in a rugged, compact form factor that fits easily into their production workflow to an industry that has never had that capability before. Did I mention that it will cut cost for them as well? That's the Canon 1D C target user, not us. The machine just looks like our still camera.

Darkshift, this camera wasn't made to please you, but there are several cameras that should. This is for people who want a semi-affordable 4K video camera. If you can't appreciate that, then move on and get a life. It's a great step forward for videographers who want a Hollywood look without the price tag. You may as well go complain in a Honda Automotive thread that nobody is going to use their cars to take 22MP shots with better than average DR... That's not really why Honda makes cars.

I was against the camera at first, I still think it is over priced and could easily of been the same price as the X from a costing point of view. It's a marketing point of view that slaps the price on.The trouble is the more I look around for a decent still camera that can produce quality video I can sell on to just about any part of the video industry, The better and cheaper the C looks.The 300c gets great revies by those that use it despite it's on paper lack lustre spec. I think the 1D C will be a great camera with good money making potential.I'm wanting one.

This is a heck of a powerful piece of engineering and accomplishment in this field, and the class of this camera, although it's not for me, or even close to my budget.

Just designing for, and taking care of the heat issues, with such processing power, in a tiny (relatively) & enclosed environment, is by itself a formidable task, that its magnitude and difficulty may only be understood by electrical engineers (EE's).

What a great comment. But just wait for the hacks to come back at you and I'm sure me for agreeing with you. At least the Big brands are out there and still developing and using there R&D budgets. New technology will always come out expensive but will come to the wider market at some point. Rock on Canon and the other brands moving us forward...

Told you they'd be out. It's the easy slag off for them "FanBoy" your not allowed to have a positive comment on a brand as the Hacks will be on your case. There's usually "Fanboys" of the competing brands... You'll get use to it. Especially on this site...

The 1D C is definitely a packaging marvel, 4K cameras were all huge, unwieldy beasts that could not easily be used in the field, but a DSLR form factor allows footage of this resolution to be captured in places that you previously couldn't. Canon had a winner with the 5D mk2 which was much beloved by the video production industry, and have now taken it to another level with this camera.As for those out there that still think DSLRs should not do video or the video isn't of any use, go sit with the guys who still think film is still better than digital!

Because they already had the big sensor sitting in a D1X body, just need to tweak the data processing part for more video bandwidth. Making an enlarged C300 would raise the costs fourfold.

Many people/production companies will buy this just out of curiosity, in case they need 4K, and for testing, because it is relatively cheap and fits in with 5D2 production flow. Committing much more money on a video only 4K FF camera would be a much more serious investment.

canon press release: "The camera's ability to record 8-bit 4:2:2 4K and 8-bit 4:2:0 Full HD video to CF cards eliminates the need for an external recorder and enables workflows with increased mobility. If desired, however, captured video (excluding 4K video) can be output from the camera's HDMI terminal to an external recorder using an uncompressed YCbCr 8-bit 4:2:2 signal." So the best quality of 1080p can be recorded only on the external recorder and the best quality 4k only to CF cards. That information was not clear to me from reading the DP article (you do have to have an external recorder after all?). Later in the article, DP and canon PR:The software(EOS Utility,Picture Style Editor) enables users to view the camera's live output on an external monitor(Requires PC SDI)with no loss of quality for 4K/Motion JPEG and full HD/60p and it enables video shot with Canon Log Gamma to be output on the monitor with video gamma applied?!Can you record 4k to an external recorder or not?

Now that Canon C-Log Gamma control is available for their Cine EOS dSLR model, which utilizes a variation of ExpSim LV for video, I hope they will offer C-Log Gamma control for STILL PHOTOGRAPHY too, where its 'flatter' non-to-low gamma correction can be previewed and compared to a gamma corrected image (RAW or JPEG).I've asked numerous times before for a Zero Gamma Corrected JPG so that the maximum DR for a given exposure-and-sensitivity can be preview, as though shooting RAWwe know that over the years, even RAW has been slightly compressed by Gamma correction anyway, where in the past there was deliberately none at all, where RAW was truly RAW.And I asked for it in the form of 'Custom DR Curve' control, little did I realize it is referred to in the video world as Log (curve) Gamma control.Having this will allow us to better assess optimal DR contrast and color intensities/saturation for exposure-sensitivity, as well as colors shift for both the darkest and brightest lit surfaces

Still RAWs with log, nice thinking. With 14bit linear raws there's probably not a lot more DR in the sensor but it would be a good option. Log has traditionally been required to squeeze 13 or so bits into 10 files, such as DPX.

With 8bit jpegs, gamma would possibly provide some analogue highlight compression which is a good thing.

8bit, great for DVcam, even digital betacam video tape has been 10bit for decades and effectively uncompressed.

Seems like Canon is starting a new video "megapixel race". And I think they've screwed this offer up. Here's why:

- 8-bit motion JPEG. Very foolish. The reason a lot of videographers use 4k is the same reason why still shooters shoot at way more MP than they need. And throttling it all down an 8 bit pipeline AND then throwing it through a very poor codec (by most professional's reckoning…) is really killing the advantage of 4k. Imagine if the new D800 only shot 3 megabyte compressed JPEGs…

- The Price. Who is this camera aimed at? It costs as much as the C300 and many other great specialized video cameras. Why would someone with $15,000 buy this over the other specialized video offerings, even within Canon's own lineup?

Ultimately it seems like this is the compromise camera aimed towards a pro market that doesn't wan't compromise. . Its an underspecced for a pro device at top of the line pro price. I'll be interested to see how much of these sell.

Motion JPEG because even Dual Digic 5 processors won't be adequate for 4K RAW like the RED Epic does.

As far why over the C300, the 1D-C has 1080p60 for super slow-mo, is smaller, more nimble and better on a rig, and if your projects combine video and time-lapse, it's clearly a better choice than the C300.

A 4K Cinema DSLR that is likely the highest specified DSLR ever created. Not exactly a compromise if it offers far more than any other DSLR in the history of photography.

That's one heck of a "lame-legged" camera. These specs are not good enough? Even if you accept that Motion JPEG is not good enough (which we couldn't know without seeing it, but OK), it still shoots 1080p60 with Log Gamma, something no other Canon DSLR does. Expect this camera to be an extremely popular B-Camera or even A-camera, depending on the project.

Shaocaholica, compression is necessary if you want to writethis much data to a CF card. 422 uncompressed HD is 135 Mbytes / sec, 4K even bayer, exponentially more. Red cameras use about 5:1 compression on the Bayer raws.

people, calm down 4K is not for consumers anytime soon, 1080p will do just fine for the next 5 years...

Canon and the other companies introducing the 4K for one reason only... some film making companies start to use this cameras for big productions which they might want to release in the future with higher reselotion... Like what happend with VCD & DVD... few years back the big production films makers use only (FILMS) and these films can produce 8K reselotion easily...

Some reality checks: 35mm movie frame is less than half of 35mm stills slide. Best 35mm slides like Velvia 50 and KodaChrome equal 12 MPix digital, extrapolated from that a movie frame equals 6 MPix which is less than 4K video frame at 4:4:4 and about same as 4K at 4:2:2.

It might come out as 8K if people demand it, but the resolution will be under 4K anyway, as even the film originals are no better than that. Same thing happens already in music, technically so-so hissy and dynamically limited tapes from the fifties-seventies are reissued on SACDs, when the original material is much worse than CD, which could be used cheaper instead.

4K as home medium would need huge screens watched quite close. Most people watch their HD screens so far that the image could be SD just as well.

Yeah, subjective tests of projected 35mm came up with a figure of between 1.5K - 2K, that's why HD ended up having almost 2K res. Unprinted film neg had about 4K res, but they don't project that.

With the huge investment in HD TV plants, 4K TV is not going to happen for a long while. It took them 20 years to decide on the standard. Sony had a commercially available HD system available then with slightly higher resolution.

4K, 8K, 400K, good for manufactures and share prices. You really need to project to make any sense of 4K motion. Think about it, the subjects move, the camera moves, the shutter speed is slow. It's the antithesis of what a stillphotographer would do if tasked to take the sharpest photos. When things move I reckon the resolution would be SD at best.

Now what would be nice is not video resolution greater than current FullHD 1080 but more frames recorded in that resolution like say 100fps or so.

That I believe will do more for video than bumping the resolution 2 fold.

More than happy with 720p res to be honest on a 50" screen, only so many wrinkles and pimples I want to see in high detail but fast action and smooth pans - now that is a different story.

Of course Cannon will do it's usual marketing crap and bump the res numbers as a must have. As stated a move from megapixel war to video resolution wars which are of no real benefit to artists using the tech.

While I'm a Canon shooter at the moment, I have to say that it seems easy for Canon to announce all these cameras if they don't ever ship them. They announced the 1Dx months ago...before the 5DmkIII....and that hasn't even shipped yet. Now they announce this.

Not only is the price too high; they're taking too long to deliver it! Anyone who has worked in retail can tell you that for all their faults, Canon has the capability to fill the pipeline fast. Nikon does not and Leica, don't ask. Of course this cuts both ways because we always want what we cannot have. And for what it's worth it creates a false sense of how much an item is in demand. Customer to dealer: "Joe's Camera's price is lower than yours but they're out of stock" Dealer to customer "I'd be happy to beat their price, if I didn't have the camera".

Camera manufacturers have been criticized for not giving a roadmap of products that they intend to launch in the future. This past practice makes it difficult to make educated purchases. In response to criticism about keeping photographers in the dark, Canon has now moved into pre-announcing products so that people are aware of new products a bit earlier. I wish Nikon also gave this early information 6-12 months beforehand as Canon has gaven e.g. for the 1D X. It'd be very helpful and save me considerable amounts of money.

I wasn't commenting on the 5DmkIII not shipping, I know that's shipping. I was referring to the 1Dx, which was announced months before the 5DmkIII, and the 1Dx has been delayed again and again. And now, before they even start shipping the 1Dx, they announce this "special edition" of the camera. How about they concentrate on getting the 1Dx out before making more and more announcements?

The people who design the products, the people who market them, and the people who build them are all separate entities. Making an announcement does not affect the production of another camera. Besides, this camera is probably going to be made in 30 units / month instead of 5000-10000 as one might expect for the 1D X. That's why it's so expensive - it has to pay for its own development even though the market is very small.

Before you get this beast out of your jacket to tape something the secret service already jumped you thinking you were going to launch a small rocket. Long live Leica! (hey I'm just saying something, I don't even own a Leica).

It is not any bigger than the cameras press photographers use now, usually several, even. I would think secret service agents are quite used to seeing them by now, even with much longer lenses. Motor driven Nikon Fs and Canon F1s were already same size or bigger.

This emphasis lately on video capabilities by Canon in their DSLR's is understandable, they seem to think that it's a market opportunity for them that's growing, but I fear that ultimately it might effect the still image quality of their camera's down the line.

These days some people are going back to film cameras (like I do) and much enjoy it. Do you think in few years, when we get older, we will be able to say to our grand children things like : 'back my time we had DSLR to take pictures'. And then you will get the DSLR off the dusty shelve, turn it on and give it to your grand child to play with this "classic". :D

Compared to this, the 5D3 seems like such a small improvement over 5D2. Its videos are too blurry, there's no clean HDMI and the camera still has serious rolling shutter. Its price will be dropping pretty quickly.

Don't know who you guys are shooting for but but the 5D III video is perfectly fine. Clean HDMI is no big deal. If you're shooting something that requires you to record to another device, you've got the wrong kind of camera to start with. The rolling shutter issue has been greatly improved - unlike most people here I've actually shot with a 5D III - and moire and aliasing are long gone. And the low-light capabilities along with the stellar auto focus in stills mode make it a fantastic machine. It might seem a tad soft when you do something ridiculous like blow a frame grab up to 400 percent but in the real world that's never going to happen. Although the D4 has a few video issues, it's an excellent camera as well. It's time to quite pixel-peeping everything that comes down the line and just go shoot something.

The additional images appear to come from the Canon press kit, and that side-on image is identical to the one shown on CR, but the back certainly is not:http://www.canonrumors.com/2012/04/canon-u-s-a-introduces-eos-1d-c-digital-slr-camera-featuring-4k-high-resolution-video-capture/

I hope cameras like this will promote a resurgence in full frame lenses. Hopefully someone will make a video free camera body purpose built to take high quality photos capable of mounting a Canon, Leica or Nikon adapter. Long live 35mm digital

Im sorry Adam, but 4K is mostly for professional use, post production, and theatrical showing. 4K won't be marketable anytime soon due to infrastructure, which, for the most part, does not yet support 1080. Most digital TV and HD cable/fiber optic broadcasts are done in 720, as 1080 requires an enormous amount of bandwidth. Frankly, 1080 TV sets only make sense at sizes 42" and more. So marketing 4K sets has a way to go, not to mention there isn't a replacement media for blu-ray that can manage the file sizes 4K yields. All of the holographic discs that were in development to replace blu-ray have since fallen though. Besides, a human being with 20/20 vision cannot tell the difference between 720 and 1080 resolution on a 50 inch TV placed 10 feet away. 4K is and always will be strictly for theatrical use, unless the folks ate Samsung and LG invent a marketing plan to fool us all :-)

This Canon camera is entirely geared for professional video productions, not end-consumer use.

Most people now use their laptop for streaming videos. If they want a bigger image they'll buy a good digital projector and hook it up to the laptop. Companies are trying to rethink tv's to not lose profitability. With internet tv's, touch screen tv's, soon to come OLED tv's, and the whole shebang.And now 4k tv's?!I think tv's won't be a "must have" item. Laptops and computers will.Also, I have to agree with MichaeK81 on this one. Cheers!

That's the reason why do we need a full review ASAP.I am not so interest in RED products, but at this price level, I don't expect it as good as the Sony F65 (where a rotating shutter is an option).Anyway, this EOS -1D C is very cheap when compared with F65.

@Edmond, comparing this DSLR incl. Videooption with the F65 is somehow like comparing a IXUS versus 5DM3.The F65 is capable of recording 4k with 120fps. Including the SR recorder and the rolling shutter it is around 100kUSD.

However it is the right way from Canon of offering such products. Many animal researcher need pro DSLR and pro VC in one product. The 1D-C is such product.

That's why I said I do not expect too much from the 4K of this camera. Price is the consideration.I know camera body of F65 is about 5 times the price of this camera, not to mention the memory module and other required peripherals to make the F65 worksFrom the view point of Money-to-Value, this EOS 1D-C is absolutely outstanding... Consider you just pay little but already get a 4K output... so attractive. It really save the company a lot of money.

I agree that the Canon Cinema 1D, RED Scarlet and Sony FS 700 (potentially) are all much cheaper than the F65. But if the external recorder options for the FS 700 end up being attractive, it could come in it a lower price point than the Cinema 1D while including more color information and higher frame rates.

That would leave the Cinema 1D with the selling points of (very likely) superior high ISO performance, a larger sensor size (though with some odd crop compromises for video due to its 1D X legacy) and in camera 4K recording (though without a RAW workflow) vs. the FS 700. The FS700 would win in terms of framerate options, however.

Against the RED Scarlet, that list limits to high ISO performance.

But in both cases I could see people buying it because of a brand preference, and I respect that. I just don't think it is winning many categories in the features game so far, outside ISO performance (where it would really be winning if they unlocked the ISOs above 25,600).

A troll is a person who goes into online forums just to complain or pick an argument with other people in the forum just for the sake of it, you run into them a lot on YouTube I've noticed, just ignore them!

A troll is just a fool who has nothing better to do in his life than coming to online foruns and comment columns provoking people, prompting angry reactions from other commentators/forum users. The best thing that can happen to him/her is for anyone to reply, so don't. Sometimes things get out of control and people unwillingly respond in a rather inappropriate way.

Really. 4k is a standard for consumer cameras ? Let me ask you this: how much space does a minute of 4k footage occupies ? What screen are you going to see that footage on ? (I checked the largest electronics retailer in my country and the largest screen in resolution they sell is 2560x1600 and it's a 1500$ dollar HP) and last, but not least, what computing power do you need to make even the smallest montage of 4k ? Is youtube going to run 4k anytime soon ? Is blueray, the largest capacity disk on the market going to fit more than 5 minutes of 4k ? Alot of consumer cameras can't even make full HD properly if at all. Or, maybe you are reffering to consumers like Steven Spielberg and by cameras you mean video cameras. Jeez!

Good questions.Very simple, think about 10 years ago when no one think HD TV would be popular. How about today?The computer market told us the memory price drop about 50% per year...Then you know why 4K (or even 8K) is the future.

The trend is just starting, from 1080 to 4k. It's going to take some time for the market and consumers to move on to the next level. The 1D-C may not compete with the quality of more advanced, dedicated video models, but it presents the threat: it is *starting*.

What remains now is how consumers will respond to this offer. If it succeeds, then tomorrow's 8k (or so) videos will be the standard of Red and other high-end cinematic cameras.

So when someone starts something, someone must automatically follow? Canon is creating another revenue channel through this series of cameras, but I don't think that automatically means other companies should start making one too just because Canon did so.

Olympus?Before they can do anything, their first priority is to make sure that they have a stable board of directors.Take a look of their market price, so terrible.I invested in the stock of Fuji Xerox and Canon, but never invest in Olympus. I am good luck.

I have some experience about SLR cameras, I've had both Nikon and Canon SLR camera, in my experience, Nikon is good for landscape photography and Canon is good for Sport and Studio photography. If someone ask, I explained of what i know. Now, perhaps like this, : If you r a photographer, then use NIKON, if you r both photographer/videographer then pick CANON, or , If you rich, and u want all,take Canon? right?

Few people realize this, but this is probably the beginning of end of cameras like the 1DX. The 1DX is a sports model that can shoot 11 fps, IIRC, but this beast can shoot 24 frames per second at 18mp resolutoin, twice the number of shots per second. There is a much bigger chance of getting the shot from 24 frames instead of 11! It actually makes more sense for a sports photographer to use this camera instead of the 1DX!

Actually, slightly less than 18MP (only 4K horizontal resolution, not the full sensor except when scaling down to 1080P) but I see where you are going with that.

There are still a lot of reasons why someone would use the stills mode (wider range of shutter speeds available, superior auto-focus systems, skipping the edit and extract stage to get your picture, etc.) but I think 4K cameras give people better options than they had before if they do not want to use stills mode (but still want stills).

Whether they are using a 4K camera from Sony, RED, Canon, the rumored upcoming offering from Panasonic or somewhere else, there are definitely more options about to appear for those with a shutter-button phobia. :)

Incorrect. This camera does not shoots 24 fps at 18 MP. It does 24 fps at 4k video. And don't think that the resolution (actual detail) of video is the same as a still photo. There was just a good comparison video of the video of the 5D3 and d800. And one part was comparing detail of a frame of video against a still photo from the camera resized to the size of video and the video resolution was quite soft compared to the detail in the resized still photo.

I saw the comparison you mentioned, RedFox88, (at least based on the description) and the point they were trying to make was that the downscaling algorithm and coded were resulting in much lower performance on the video side than expected. If you look at other cameras like the GH2, the image quality delta between stills and video is much smaller because of the combination of codec and downscaling algorithm.

In the case of this camera, the reason it does not do full 18MP is because the full 18MP sensor extends beyond 4k and is not using a 16x9 aspect ratio. So the pixels in the video are 1:1 with those in the stills side, there are just fewer of them. We have already seen this on the RED Epic, where Vincent Laforet praised the image quality and used it for stills.

But the RED Epic used a RAW format for video and this camera does not. So it remains to be seen how the video side will fare without it.

A lot of products are have identical hardware but you end up paying for different and higher end software. GPS receivers is one as well as Plustek film scanners. It's all about the controlling software anymore.

Has Canon gone off on some crazy course of it's own on video? Surely I appreciate the technical virtuosity and my "oh my gee whizz" product, but I have a stack of Canon EF glass and I actually have no need for video. So where to now for the plebs that want to see a smaller, evf version of the EF mount camera with video only for emergencies.

Or are Canon doing "a Leica" and simply grandstanding their technical expertise by painting themself into the nice, but unobtainable, corner?

I run to something more than a Rebel but am only hanging about because the EOS mount locks in my investment.

Videographers (all "fifty" of them) are going nuts about it of course.

Actually, this camera was predicted a couple years ago by the Luminous Landscape. The convergence of video and still. Who needs two cameras and a maximum frame rate of 11, when you can shoot 24 fps or more at full resolution.

The larger point is that a few years ago, one was able to own a decent quality video camera (all bet "standard definition") and a full frame DSLR ranging from 7 to $8000 for both.. Today it seems to be an outreach almost impossible to own anything decent when u take into account all the necessary components you need along.. Oh geeeez!!

Dude, this camera was not designed for you and you can't afford it - so what ? Get over it. There's a viable market for this, just like there's a market for $100,000 cameras. Priced a set of Zeiss Master Primes recently ? For the people who will buy this, $15,000 is small change.

If by that you mean this site is getting astray from photography, I agree - but video seems to be the name of the game nowadays. The ideal would be to have a camera for photography and another for video - for those who care about video, I mean -, but people love convenience. I used to be into Hi-Fi, and the best way to do it was separates, even down to a power amp and a separate preamp (and a CD transport and a separate DAC). Now people think they can have it all in one box while maintaining quality, but that's an illusion. (An illusion largely kept alive by specialized magazines and websites.) The same is happening in photography.Maybe one day the market will come to its senses.

Sony will most likely be selling their Alpha 99 DSLR with 4K video for a good SIX MONTHS before you will see anything for real from Canon that might be construed to be compatible to it.

I guess for Canon shooters, an announcements is just as good as an actual camera, maybe? Canon is the KING OF ANNOUNCEMENTS these days, nobody can catch them when it comes to making a dizzying number of announcements, so true.

nuts: different levels of software can demand different pricing levels. It's good business sense to charge accordingly for your products instead of selling the farm at consumer prices when there is a large commercial market too.

Re. the price, why be cheap and quibble? $65,000 will get you the Canon casera + a Canon cine-style zoom lens. Add another $3,000 for a pair of $1,500 SanDisk high-speed CF cards, and you are almost ready to go to do that next high-paying wedding job! It's all good, see?

I think Canon should make a new DIVISION, e.g. MOVIE-SLR or CINEMA-SLR. This type of camera will target for those movie maker for lower cost yet high quality pictures. Why bother using big bulky video camera?

Or... This is like the new " thinking " for younger generations who are in the movie business.

I just wish that Canon make a bigger CMOS sensor like HASSELBLAD, with all the high tech functions and extras.

Owning a top end Canon DSLR has now become an irritating proposition where a camera is characterised not by the best their R&D can deliver, but by the technology that is subtracted from the product by the marketing department.

That is enough to buy a GH2 with 65 batteries and 65 maximum performance 64GB memory cards. You could shoot over 58 hours of footage with some of the more demanding settings on a hacked GH2 and power your camera for around 100 hours without a recharge or off-load.

Way to go off tangent with that link.I'd rather get a GH2 or a '79 Corvette, than $15 grand off my pocket. IMHO, not everyone needs to shoot 4k. I am not complaining though, Canon made a business decision, and they did it quite well.